Lord Acheron, having greeted his fellow lords, had grouped up with his guards and left the Obsidian Palace.
Having been briefed on the mission at hand, they were to hunt down the remnants of John’s supporters and either capture or cull them.
“My Lord, what is the plan?” One of the guards asked, as they arrived in the main town in the capital.
“Intelligence…Gathering.” The mouth piece of the skull helmet moved, emulating the movement of speech.
“Deploy…the shadow network” Acheron spoke to its team.
“Be back ….in an hour” The guards acknowledged the order and disperse.
The guards are reaching out to their contacts and spies to gather information.
Information on sleeper cells, movement and plans are all up for grabs.
Lord Acheron walked into the middle of town.
A great fountain, with the statues of the kings of old standing tall, making the whole scene majestic.
Many buildings lined the streets, and commerce is flowing.
A town square worthy of being the main capital of the floating ziggurat.
Lord Acheron took a seat and observe the day to day crowd.
Mothers with their children, shopping for groceries.
The market, more bustling then ever, as shopkeepers shout out offers to attract potential buyers.
Guards patrolling the streets, keeping the King’s peace.
A famous tavern was emitting the most noise.
Adventurers, bar goers and more enter and leave the building.
A picturesque moment indeed.
Not for Lord Acheron.
Through its skull helmet, the hollow cavities for its eyes gleamed with shadow magic.
You see, the way shadows see the world is very different.
For inorganic things, it just sees it as a dull grey.
For living beings however, is a totally different thing.
Shadows see the darkness in the hearts.
The darker one’s shadow is, the more killing intent / evil thoughts / malice and more is within them.
The happy scene seen by mortal eyes does not reflect the same in Lord Acheron.
The shadow sees a grey landscape, with beings of varying degree of shadow opacity.
Some beings even have shadow bigger than them, reflected in the movement of their mana.
It sees even the flow of mana and how dark and toxic one’s mana is.
“Incorrigible” Lord Acheron thought.
“This world is leaking with it.” “The world needs to be cleansed” As it continues observing and thinking to itself, suddenly, all six guards returned.
“My Lord, we have some information” This broke Acheron’s train of thought.
“Has…it…been….an hour?” One of the guards nodded.
Some onlookers look at the gathering of shadows, and noticed the skull helmet.
“Its Lord Acheron!” “Don’t disturb the shadows, less they consume you!” “What are those creepy beings doing here?” “Do you think I should go over to say hi?” Noticing that they were attracting attention, one of the guards suggested to move to and different location then they can brief their lord.
With that, all the shadows stood up and went off, leaving the capital.
At the outskirts of the capital, after leaving the main gate, the shadows crowded around.
“My Lord, we are here to report the following: 1.
There are some remnants in the nearby villages.
2.
Words of a collaboration between John and other nations.
3.
There is news of a plan to strike the convoy, but there is a lack of details due to the sources not knowing fully.” Lord Acheron sees the path ahead and commanded.
“We…shall exterminate…the remnants first.
Capture only…high-value targets.
Cull…the rest.
Collect evidence…and…testimonies.
Especially…on the collaboration…and the attack…on the convoy.
Move out” With that, the shadows spring into action.
They melded with the shadows of the forest and traversed with such speed, they were in the first village in no time.
Shadow is when the path of light is block and it cast out.
The speed of which, is a tad bit slower than the speed of light.
This means the shadows could move at incredible speeds, but it burns mana for doing so.
The forced movement burns mana to meld the shadow into existing ones, and move alongside it, especially when moving for shadow to shadow.
In the first village, based on the information given by the shadow network, they knew of the sleeper cell working here.
It was a female human, under the guise of the innkeeper.
Secretly, the woman’s name is Tasmina, a spykeeper of John’s vast network.
The shadows headed straight for the inn.
As they entered, there she was, standing in for the barkeeper, pouring ale for the various adventurers.
The inn was filled to the brim with adventurers.
While it was not uncommon for it to be so, a village in the outskirts usually should not be so full with armed travelers.
All noticed the shadows entering and they knew the shadows were not here for a mug of ale.
Usually, when shadows enter, it is to conduct raids and security check, making them deeply unpopular.
The adventurers laid a hand on their weapons, gripping it to prepare to swing in an event if things goes wrong.
Lord Acheron stepped forward.
“Tasmina…Innkeeper…
I presume?” Tasmina, shocked that she got singled out, greeted the shadow lord.
“I am Tasmina, what can I do for you, Shadow Lord?” “You…can…start with…letting me know…where your…allegiance…are?” The metal of the helmet croaked and groan, simulating mouth movements in speech.
“I’m afraid I do not understand your question?” Tasmina said, while putting down a mug she just wiped.
“King Kenius….or John…” Acheron’s eyes are brimming with energy now.
It sees it.
The leaking mana emanating out of her.
The shadow, as dark as it can be.
The thoughts of treason had made her very identifiable.
Knowing that she is completely cornered, Tasmina reached into her pockets, drawing out small knives enchanted with magic, and throw them towards the shadow.
Acheron simply stood there, as the knives flew through him.
“Knives…cannot cut…shadow” and raise its hand.
The mana in the air began to crackle and it summoned its weapon.
A large scythe appeared, adorned with a large skull on top, its mouth spitting out the blade to reap.
Attached to a long solid stick, and at the ends, three chain whips which had a spike at the end of them.
As the scene unfolded, the patrons knew a battle is about to break out.
What the shadows did not know is that Tasmina is the spykeeper yes, but they literally just entered a den of loyalists to Prince John.
One of the hotheaded ones picked up his enchanted axe and shouted “For Prince John!” and began swinging at the shadow guards.
The rest picked up their weapons and mages began casting their spells.
Bows were drawn and shot.
as well.
The shadows either let it pass through them or sensing which could harm them, avoided it.
To the mortal beings, it seemed like the shadows were phasing through.
“Why can’t we hit them?!” One of them remarked.
At this point, some mages finish the casting of their spells.
“Move aside.
I will show them.
Basic Magic – Fire!” Others echoed their spells as well.
Jets of the five elements shot out towards the shadows.
Lord Acheron, firmly staring at Tasmina, who had now drawn out her short sword, felt all the magical energy at the back.
“Enough…of you…
insolence.
Cull them…All!” and it swang the scythe, dissipating all the offensive magics heading towards him.
The other shadow guards, upon receiving the command, drew out their shadow daggers and began massacring the patrons, slicing off throats, stabbing through the chests, cutting limbs of.
They then summoned shadow tendrils to pierce through the mages from a range.
In about 30 seconds, all the patrons lie dead.
Tasmina, unable to comprehend what she just saw, could only utter one thing.
“What do you want?” as she trembled in fear.
“Information” as Lord Acheron lifted the scythe and place it on her shoulders, with the blade aiming at her neck.
With a pull, it could reap and slice off her neck cleanly.
“What kind of information?” At this point, she was trembling quite hard, as her pants got wet.
She was wetting herself.
“Plans…for the…ex-prince.” The skull helmet speaking, its intimidating visage was truly terrifying as it spoke.
“All I know, is that they are going to try to free him.
I heard of a planned attack at the Pass of Crag.
However, I do not have any information more than that.” Acheron’s helmet creaked and groaned, asking the next question.
“Collaboration…John…other nations.” Tasmina understood it.
“Prince John had a large network, and we work with different representatives.
Mainly with the humans and dwarves of the metal empire.
Also, the elves of the woodland realm.” Lord Acheron, determined the information sufficient, looked deeply into Tasmina’s eyes.
“Thank you…for your…co-operation” and with that, it pulled its scythe, slicing her neck off cleanly.
The blood splattered onto Acheron’s hood and robes, as well as its skull helmet.
Lord Acheron walked back to the guards.
“Looks like…
we got…a lead.
Spread out….gather information…meet up…at Pass of Crag.” The other 6 shadows nodded and disappear.
Lord Acheron released its scythe summon, as it faded into the air.
It looked back at the carnage and open its robes slightly.
There, the eye of the shadow manifested in its chest of swirling shadow.
6 shadow tendrils came out and started pulling corpse after corpse into the void.
Acheron, being an unbounded shadow, has its own free will.
However, not having the connection to the hivemind meant that it had to think for itself, power itself, and restore itself.
Hence, it drains mana off other beings to sustain its lifeforce.
As it consumed corpse after corpse, the depleted energies returned.
It was like shadow tendrils reaching into every corner of the space.
Suddenly, Acheron heard a whimper.
It turned its head and saw that behind some barrels, a child.
Acheron signaled it to come out.
“Who…are you?” “My name is Tarania.
Mummy.” As the little girl pointed to Tasmina’s beheaded corpse on the floor.
“I see…the innocence…of a child…but…the blood of…a traitor…” The shadow tendrils stopped, as it jerked and turned to face the child.
“Food…for me” As the inn fills with the child’s scream, the tendrils reached out and her world fades to black.
Then, there was silence.
The shadows then continued their mission, gathering information and culling dozens of sleeper cells as they head towards the pass of crag.
Soon, they were all at the entrance of the black crag.
“My Lord, it seems that one of John’s factions will attempt a prisoner breakout at the pass of crag.
They had planned to capture the wagon and bring it to their lair, where they will free the ex-prince.
I heard that their collaboration with the other nations have bore fruit, leading to a creation of a prototype that seems to have the function of disrupting mana density.” Lord Acheron, with this new information, spoke: “Lord Styx…Prince Thalassos…
escorting convoy to Tartarus.
We head there…to assist…
since it is the task…from the King.
They then moved out, heading to the Pass of Crag.
Acheron and its shadow guards reaches the high crags overlooking the ravine, just as the second wave of rebels triggers the landslide.
From above, Acheron analyze and observe what was going on.
Observations include: 1.
Leo using more than half of his mana away, while running around the battlefields striking down rebels, charged with lightning.
He will not be able to sustain this.
2.
Two paralyzed abyssal behemoths, freed from the wagon.
3.
Chains dragging the wagon holding the ex-prince John, pulling it up into the top of the ravine.
4.
A group of dark shadows and mana, with a metal object sucking in mana from the air The threat was clear, Leo and Thalassos can hold out.
Acheron will go straight for the heads of these.
With orders given, the shadows melded and headed towards the direction of the Masked Leader.
As the prison wagon was reaching them, the Masked Leader could reach out to touch it.
That was the cue.
At this moment, the shadows manifested and sliced through the rebels.
Acheron had summoned its scythe and slashed directly into the center of the Masked Leader’s chest.
It then picked up the metal artifact once they are all dead.
Acheron also activated the mechanism to lower the wagon back down.
Upon securing the device for later, the shadows then headed down and plunge into battle to assist Lord Styx and the Abyssal Prince.
With the rebels defeated in two minutes, they had exchanged a few words as to what had happened.
Acheron thought that there may be additional sleeper cells and the chances of ambush will be high.
Promising Leo that it will help with the escort until they reached safety, it melded into the shadows, along with its guards to surround the convoy.
While they did take out the occasionally straggler or two, there was not another ambush.
Leo and Thalassos reached the docks safely, where the transfer of the prisoner should begin.
Lord Acheron manifested back on the top of the ravine’s edge, with its guards behind it.
Leo noticed his fellow lord, and waved at him to acknowledge his help.
With that secured, the shadows melded back into the ground.
A distance away, the shadows manifested.
“My lord, with this, the trail is completely cleared.
Is the mission cleared?” Acheron, taking out the metal artifact, said: “No…now…we have…
this…to be answered…for” The artifact, made of metal of varying contraptions, buzzed and hum as it operates.
“I sense the artifact draining mana from the air.
Is it just clearing the mana, or storing the absorbed magic?” One of the guards asked.
“Do not…know…need…to trace…origins…” “Metal…Empire…” This was in line with the intel they had gotten.
Tasmina mentioned a collaboration with the metal empire and woodland realm.
Perhaps, they could find their answers there.
With their next destination in mind, the shadows headed off to the metal empire.
Meanwhile, 2 more parties are headed for the Metal empire as well.
1.
The envoy party: Consisting of Nobles representing the Dark Faction.
Headed by a Beholder named Narxul.
Jayzee and the Undead Prince’s Daughter are part of the party as well.
2.
Lord Cocytus, with a small group of guards, planning to infiltrate, before retrieving and destroying any soul prison technology that Karnok has sold to them.